By Our Staff Reporter
Dehradun, 17 Nov: At the instructions of Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami, Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi reached the disaster control room located at the Secretariat, today, and sought updates on the ongoing rescue operation in Silkyara in district Uttarkashi. She also issued instructions to the rescue teams and the district administration in Uttarkashi. She enquired about the well-being of the workers trapped in the tunnel.
Additional Chief Secretary Radha Raturi was informed by the officials that excavation with shortcreting for 40 metres of the collapsed tunnel is under progress to fill up the cavity formed 10 metres above the crown on both the left and the right sidewalls. They also stated that chimney formation has been started along the tunnel. An additional shotcrete machine has been shifted to the work site. Geotechnical experts, engineers, Geological Experts from RVNL, Director (A&F), Director (T) and Executive Director (P) of NHIDCL and CGM, NHAI, visit the collapse site periodically. At present the first option is still underway which is to push 900 mm MS Steel Pipes to evacuate the work force trapped inside.
The ACS was also informed that water, food, oxygen and electricity are being made available to the work force trapped inside the tunnel. small food packets are also being pumped inside the tunnel through one pipe with the help of compressed air. They have confirmed the receipt of food items. All the stranded workers are safe as communicated by them.
At the time Raturi was holding the review, pipes totalling a length of 22 metres had been pushed through the debris while the positioning of the fifth pipe was under progress.
Director (A&F), Director (T), Executive Director (P) of NHIDCL and experts from BRO, NHAI, RVNL, RITES, Indian Railways, USBRL, IRCON, KRCL, Authority’s Engineer, M/s Navayuga Engineering Company Ltd, SJVNL and Designer M/s BERNARD are present at the site for close monitoring of rescue operations for early evacuation.
Raturi stated that the instructions of the Chief Minister are that all the necessary cooperation and assistance should be provided by the administration and officials to all the technical agencies engaged in rescue operations. She added that that Dhami is constantly taking updates from the agencies engaged in rescue operations and the District Magistrate, Uttarkashi. He is in constant touch with Commissioner, Garhwal, and IG Garhwal. The rescue operation is also being continuously monitored at the Central Government level and the State Government is getting full support.
